It wasn’t the best of games for Jalen Brunson (12 points, 4-for-13 FG), but it didn’t matter as the New York Knicks still dominated the Toronto Raptors 139-125. OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns each scored 31 points and the team put together one of their strongest offensive performances of the season despite their captain struggling.
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson still had a positive impact on the game despite their shooting woes
Despite the inefficient night from Brunson, head coach Tom Thibodeau still gave him praise for the way he impacted the game in other areas aside from scoring:
“He’s gonna do whatever the game needs to win,” Thibodeau said (h/t SNY). “So I thought, you know, we built a big lead, and Jalen doesn’t fight the game. He reads the game extremely well, and we got some guys going early. I thought he got the guys into a real rhythm.”
Along with Anunoby and Towns’ big games, Cameron Payne provided 19 points off the bench and Mikal Bridges added in 14 of his own including four made threes. Brunson had seven assists on the night and was still a +8 despite their poor shooting.
Brunson has taken a playmaking leap this season
While Brunson has still taken on a big scoring responsibility this season (24.6 points per game), he has changed his game into being more of a facilitator with the other elite options around him. As a result, he is averaging a career-high 7.6 assists per game, a figure that is 10th-best in the NBA.
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Playmaking had been a weakness of the Knicks in years past, as they never had someone who would patrol the offense and get the other players involved. It has been a whole different story this season, and it has resulted in the Knicks being a top offense in the league. Additionally, all five starters are averaging double-digit points, an indication that the ball is finding its way to everyone on the court.
Brunson will hope to turn around his shooting struggles on Christmas Day when he and the Knicks face Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden.
